iTrails application for iPhone

Laura Miles

Posted 25 August 2010 - 08:05 PM

Laura Miles

Master Contributor

Validated Member

116 posts

Canada

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone has any experience using the iTrails application for the iPhone? I tried it last weekend and was really impressed by its collection abilities under forest cover during our hike, although the elevation seems a bit off. Has anybody else here tried it? How do you find it compared to a 'real' gps unit for simple collection? (By simple I mean just the basic shape of hiking trails, with a reasonable amount of positional accuracy.)
Thanks!
Laura

Matthew Hampton

Posted 26 August 2010 - 12:15 PM

Matthew Hampton

Hall of Fame

Moderator

1,427 posts

Gender:Male

Location:Portland, Oregon

Interests:Playing in the mountains and rivers.

United States

That looks like an interesting app Laura. In theory all GPS/trail apps on a given phone should exhibit the same coverage/response. I was curious about the different trail apps offered via iTunes (I've used the MotionX app but pulled it due to battery drain) and it seems to me that TrailBlazer Pro has some advantages. I'll download and check it out.

Matthew Hampton

Posted 30 August 2010 - 06:57 PM

I'll look into those two you mentioned - I checked out TrailBlazer briefly, can it export a kml file? I was interested in iTrails because it can export kml and gpx. Laura

The TrailBlazer app not only sends you (via e-mail) a KMZ of the route, but also a map image (OSM base) with links colored by speed, and a stats plot that includes charts of speed and altitude plus min/max/averages. I think this is pretty neat geo-data-nerd stuff, but I think the strongest aspect of this app is the ability to share all of this information live with others who you have been specified, so your teammates/partners/loved_ones can watch your progress.

Mr. Shader

Posted 30 August 2010 - 08:15 PM

Mr. Shader

Newbie

New Member

2 posts

Gender:Male

Location:Denver, CO

United States

I Highly recommend AccuTerra for iPhone. All the maps are custom made for outdoor recreation, and the user interface is very simple. If you buy the "Ultimate" version you can download unlimited maps for the entire country via a download grid. maps are stored on your phone so they work even if if you have no cell reception, and the accuracy is pretty good if you keep it in the top pouch of a backpack or somewhere the iPhone can get good line of site to the sky - the GPS receiver is rather weak compared to a 'real' GPS but the accuracy almost the same.

Laura Miles

Posted 31 August 2010 - 07:36 PM

Laura Miles

Master Contributor

Validated Member

116 posts

Canada

The TrailBlazer app not only sends you (via e-mail) a KMZ of the route, but also a map image (OSM base) with links colored by speed, and a stats plot that includes charts of speed and altitude plus min/max/averages. I think this is pretty neat geo-data-nerd stuff, but I think the strongest aspect of this app is the ability to share all of this information live with others who you have been specified, so your teammates/partners/loved_ones can watch your progress.

The ability to share data live certainly appeals to me from the safety aspect of hiking in the woods. I'm looking to create hiking maps in the end, and seem to have good results so far with iTrails, though it does drain the battery a bit. I want to create elevation graphs for each hike, but iTrails' elevation seemed wonky as I said. (I can just get it from a DEM though - may actually be easier) The GPS in the iPhone seems pretty good, better than the 'real' unit at my last job anyway!Laura